


Lost and Found

by MalcolmReynolds



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, First Meeting, Lukanette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27576227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmReynolds/pseuds/MalcolmReynolds
Summary: LBSC Sprint Fic, based on the prompt  “My soul chose yours. And a soul doesn’t just forget that.”Luka keeps finding, often in painful ways, items that his soulmate has lost, but when will he get to meet her?
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 24
Kudos: 174
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	Lost and Found

Luka hated touring. He loved performing, he enjoyed the fans, and he could always lose himself in the music, but he hated being away from home, from his family, from _Paris_ for extended periods of time. The long bus rides and plane trips gave him some opportunity for creativity, and the new places were definitely inspiring, but the performance schedule kept interfering with his creative process. 

The other problem living in close quarters with others was the soulmate _stuff_. Normally, when your soulmate’s lost items appeared, it was obvious to whom it belonged; but when there were four of you living in close quarters, sometimes things got a little confused. Especially when bunk beds were involved. 

There was quite the scandal when Niels, the drummer, woke up to a pair of bright red panties on his pillow that definitely did not belong to his very pregnant wife. Yves, who’s bunk was directly under Niels claimed them as belonging to his soulmate; apparently this was not the first time he’d had undergarments turn up. Luka looked over at Gilen and shrugged. Who loses underwear?

Out of the four of them, Yves, their lead singer and rhythm guitarist, was the only one who truly embraced the rock and roll lifestyle. He partied, drank copiously, and made sure to have a girl warming his bed in every hotel they stayed in. Luka uncharitably thought that, with the things his soulmate lost, she was probably doing the same thing. Niels had a wife and young son, with another on the way. She was hitting the absentminded stage of pregnancy, so Niels was frequently calling home to reassure her that he had her keys (one of many sets) or the water bill, or the booties that her aunt had made for the new baby. 

Just three more stops and they would be home. Their final show of the tour was back in Paris. Gilan, who had decorated the back of his bass with the small picture his new boyfriend had lost, especially, was excited to get home. Having just met his soulmate Alaire, less than a month prior to leaving, the two of them had got to know each other through shy video chats and sweet phone calls over the six months the band had been traveling. 

At 24, Luka was the youngest member of _Rough Waters_ , but as their lead guitarist, backup vocalist and primary songwriter, the others often turned to him for guidance, at least when it came to music. While neither he nor Yves had met their soulmate, Luka was patient, and waited for her to come into his life. Ever since he was four years old and a well loved ladybug stuffie had shown up on his bed smelling of cookies and something citrus, he’d been more curious about the person to whom it belonged. 

His mother had shunned her soulmate, and reminded her children that their destiny was what they made, not some random magic from the universe. On the surface, Luka agreed with her, but deep down, he still longed for the girl with the stuffed ladybug, especially after seeing his sister, Juleka, meet her soulmate, Rose, in college, and the bond that continued to grow between the two of them. He’d been tempted along the way, intrigued by others, been in a relationship or two, but none of them had ever lived up to the promise of his soulmate. 

Desperately in need of a break, Luka decided to take a nap. Pulling the powerful magnet off of where it was stuck to the metal post of his bunk, he ran the metal over his bed before climbing in. He’d learned long ago, in the most painful of ways, that his soulmate was constantly losing pins. He had at least 3 pincushions full of them at home, and was well on his way to having another one full here on the bus. The rest of the guys took to keeping their shoes on at all times after the first pin rolled off of Luka’s top bunk and onto the floor beside it. 

He’d started giving the pins to his sister, who was a model, to take them in to the seamstresses at work. They’d thanked him, and had a good laugh at his expense when Juleka had told them about how he’d found the first several (ok, first two dozen) pins, before he learned to run a magnet over his bed before he lay down. They always seemed to end up in his bed for some reason, but at least that meant he didn’t have to check anywhere else. When no pins turned up, Luka flopped down to rest. 

Juleka Couffaine-Lavillant was standing motionless as Marinette Dupain-Cheng added the final touches on the dress she would be wearing as the final model in the big show that night. She was complaining bitterly about the fact that her brother’s hamster had kept her up late, the creature having needed to run on its squeaky wheel at 2am, while Juleka was trying to sleep. Her wife, Rose, had insisted they bring the rodent into the bedroom, so that it wouldn’t get lonely, and Juleka could not deny her wife anything. 

Marinette had met Rose on a few occasions, and outwardly was Juleka’s opposite. A short, blonde and bubbly counterpoint to Juleka’s tall, dark and shy, the pair balanced each other out beautifully, and Marinette, ever the romantic at heart, had melted when Juleka told her the story of how they discovered they were soulmates, back when they were twelve.

Curious, Marinette asked why Juleka’s brother could not take care of his own hamster, she reminded Marinette that he was on tour, and the hamster had shown up mere weeks before he left. As proud as Juleka was of her brother, Marinette knew that he was a member of one of her favorite bands, _Rough Waters_ and that he would be home from tour soon. “So I’m only stuck with the creature for another week. Then it’s Luka’s problem.”

“The hamster just showed up one day?” Marinette frowned at the taller woman. 

Juleka nodded. “A soulmate thing, we think. Although I’m not sure how someone loses a hamster.” 

Defensive, Marinette retorted before she could think about her words. “Some hamsters are just escape artists, and will do anything to break out of their cage!” Her eyes blew wide as she looked up at Juleka, only to catch the other woman looking down at her, a calculating look in her deep brown eyes. 

“Do you have anything belonging to your soulmate on you right now? What sort of things have you found?”

Shrugging, Marinette tugged at the chain around her neck. “It’s mostly socks.” She laughed at the thought. “Same as most people. And I have got a bunch of guitar picks. And…” She blushed, although wasn’t entirely sure why. “A whole bunch of half eaten food. I think he forgets to eat sometimes.”

Freeing the chain from where it was tucked into her shirt, she slipped it off her head and offered it to Juleka. “I always keep these two on me.” As Juleka fingered the wire wrapped guitar picks dangling from the chain, Marinette hurried to explain. “The one with the blue snake I’ve had since I was little. Maybe three? It’s one of the first things I got from my soulmate. The _Rough Waters_ one showed up when I was having a really bad day. It was a ray of hope when I really needed one, so that one is special to me. It’s actually how I learned about the band.”

A smile curled at one side of Juleka’s mouth. “I have tickets to the _Rough Waters_ final show next weekend. You’re free on Friday night?”

Marinette nodded and opened her mouth to object. “You’re coming with me. Those picks were a special order for the band members when they were signed. They didn’t make many of them.” Juleka cut her off before she could say anything and Marinette snapped her mouth shut again. “Oh… and wear that necklace,” Juleka added, handing the chain back to Marinette. 

The lights were hot, and Luka ran a hand through his sweaty hair as they finished their penultimate song of the final stop on the tour. It was wonderful being back in Paris, and he couldn’t wait to see his family and friends again. He knew that Juleka and Rose were in the audience somewhere, along with a “surprise friend” that Juleka was bringing. She’d begged him for an additional ticket and backstage pass, and Luka half expected that she’d finally convinced their mother to join them. 

Not that Anarka didn’t approve of his career choice, quite the opposite really, she just hated how confining it was to be standing in the crowd, preferring to be up on stage herself. She’d come to several of his shows when they were first starting out, outdoor venues and the like, but was reluctant to attend anything enclosed. He smiled to think of his mother out there, and played his heart out for her. 

The roar of the crowd as the final notes of the tour died away was deafening, and Luka grinned like a maniac under the spotlight. The band members smiled and waved at the cheering crowd as the final curtain fell, and then they were whooping along with them as they exited the stage. Luka couldn’t dampen his grin as he headed back to the meet and greet room, where the few fans as well as friends and family with backstage passes would come to meet them. This being their hometown and final stop, most of the people there would be people they knew, and the excitement buzzing through them was palpable. This had been their first major tour, and they’d been away from home for months, and were eager to settle back into normal routines. 

Luka spotted Juleka and Rose right away as he walked through the door, but instead of seeing his mother standing by them, he saw Rose talking to a dark haired young woman that he did not recognize. At a nudge from his sister’s wife, the woman turned and looked at him shyly with huge blue eyes framed with long dark lashes. Her dark hair hung just past her shoulders, and Luka was struck with the thought that he wanted to run his fingers through it. He’d taken two steps towards her before he even knew that he was moving. Her eyes hadn’t left his since the moment she turned around, even though a blush had crept up her neck to stain her cheeks. 

Tearing his eyes away from hers, he glanced over at Juleka, quirking an eyebrow. His sister just grinned right back at him, and leaned forward conspiratorially to whisper, “ask her about the necklace.”

Frowning, Luka’s eyes darted to the base of her throat. Dangling there were two wire-wrapped guitar picks. His eyes widened as he looked at the top one, and his hand reached out of its own accord to thumb the top pick aside so he could see the second one. Sucking in a breath, his eyes shot back to hers, before realizing from her wide-eyed stare that he was still holding the chain around her neck. He dropped it with a start, before turning his head to the side and lifting his hair away from the ladybug earring he had through the top of his earlobe.

It was Marinette’s turn to suck in a breath, as she reached a trembling hand up to brush against the shell of his ear. He shivered at her touch, and she quickly withdrew her hand. With a shy smile, she looked up at Luka. “Hi! I’m Marinette. I, um, I should thank you for keeping my hamster alive.”

As she blushed, Luka threw back his head and laughed. “I’m Luka, but you probably already knew that. Let me go get cleaned up, and then can I take you to dinner?”

Marinette laughed freely. “I’m guessing you want Thai food?”

Luka’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s my favorite. How did you know?”

“It’s what shows up half eaten at my desk the most. Usually when I need to take a break myself.” 

Feeling like he could lose himself in those eyes forever, he was jarred back to reality when she blinked slowly at him and started turning red, he shook himself out of it. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” He took two steps away, then turned back around and looked at Juleka. “Don’t let her go anywhere. I’m gonna clean up, then I’ll be back.” 

Juleka just smacked his shoulder. “Go. Take a shower while you’re at it. You’ll smell better.”

Blushing lightly, Luka shot a dirty look at his sister, then smiled softly at Marinette once more before heading off to get cleaned up. Taking the fastest shower of his life, he was dressed and back with Marinette, not even noticing that his sister and her wife had disappeared until Marinette mentioned that they’d left. 

He held out his hand to her. “Shall we, then?” 

She smiled and slipped her hand into his, boldly pushing up on her toes to kiss his cheek, before blushing red to the roots of her hair. Once they were out of the room and alone in the hallway, Luka turned to Marinette, reaching into the small rucksack he had over his shoulder, and pulled out the small plush ladybug that had been his companion since he was a child. Marinette’s eyes grew wide as she hugged the small toy to her. Luka cupped her cheek, and she turned her luminous eyes on him once again. 

Leaning down, Luka whispered, “may I?” and at Marinette’s nod, he closed the distance between them. Their lips met, briefly, and he pulled away reluctantly. As they walked to the restaurant, Luka kept stealing glances at Marinette, who seemed perfectly comfortable walking with him, a near-perfect stranger. He had his arm thrown across her shoulders, while hers was wrapped around his waist. He paused once again, turning to look at her, and her chatter died away as she looked up at him expectantly. 

He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he looked down at her softly smiling face. “Marinette. I know the reputation of musicians, and we’ve only just met.” He waved his free hand at himself, encompassing his somewhat edgy look in comparison to her sweetly put-together one. “How is it that you’re so comfortable being out here alone with me so late at night?”

Marinette’s expression turned soft as she looked up at him, reaching up to cup his cheek as he had done to hers, giggling as he nuzzled it slightly, as his eyes stayed earnestly on hers. “Oh Luka,” she murmured, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb. “My soul chose yours, and a soul doesn’t just forget that.” She tugged him down gently so that she could kiss him, and Luka relaxed into the kiss with a soft sigh, feeling more content than he had ever felt in his life. 

She’s right, he thought. A soul doesn’t forget. And then he kissed her again, forgetting everything except the feel of her in his arms, and the way his heart sang at finding her.


End file.
